{"id":6269,"date":"2026-09-23T13:34:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/?p=6269"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:34:08","slug":"foiled-cyberattack-ends-in-conviction-of-two-in-uba-zambia-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/2026\/09\/23\/foiled-cyberattack-ends-in-conviction-of-two-in-uba-zambia-case\/","title":{"rendered":"FOILED CYBERATTACK ENDS IN CONVICTION OF TWO IN UBA ZAMBIA CASE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Lusaka | September 23, 2026 – A cyberattack targeting the computer systems of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Zambia was brought to a halt before it could compromise, alter or destroy bank data and has since resulted in the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) securing the conviction of two men for attempting to interfere with a computer system without lawful authority.
The two accused, Chisomo Zulu, an employee of UBA Zambia, and Jesh Mukuka, were convicted by the Subordinate Court sitting at Lusaka under Section 55(2) read with Section 49(2) of the Cyber Security and Cybercrimes Act No. 2 of 2021.
The conviction followed a prosecution that brought together CCTV footage, digital forensic evidence, electronic communications, security logs and statements obtained during investigations.
The case provides an important illustration of how Zambia’s cybercrime legislation applies where an unlawful operation is detected and stopped before the intended harm is completed.
While the Court found that the prosecution had not established the completed offence under Section 49(2), because there was no evidence that data had been modified, destroyed or rendered ineffective, it found that the evidence proved an attempt beyond reasonable doubt.
The matter was prosecuted by Senior Public Prosecutor Hastings Sichone, while the defence was mounted by M. B. Ayami of the Legal Aid Board. The case was heard before Hon. Sylvia Munyinya Okoh, who is now a Judge of the High Court.
The case began with a package handed over in the UBA Zambia car park.
CCTV footage showed Mukuka handing the package to Megan Chishala, who subsequently delivered it to Zulu at about 15:32 hours.
Zulu was later seen returning to his workstation and repeatedly bending beneath his desk.
Security officers subsequently discovered unauthorised devices connected to the computer, including an MTN MiFi, an HDMI device and a mini PC.
UBA\u2019s security systems had detected suspicious commands originating from Zambia and directed towards the bank’s system in Lagos, Nigeria.
The activity was intercepted before the intended interference could be completed.
An analyst testified that the mini PC had accessed the UBA network.
Phones seized from the accused also contained communications relating to the equipment, including the router and MiFi.
UBA policy requires written authorisation before external devices can be connected to its computer systems. No such authorisation had been granted.
Taken together, the digital evidence provided the prosecution with a means of linking the physical equipment recovered at the workstation with the wider activity detected on the bank’s network.
The Court found that the evidence established intentional and unauthorised interference, as well as joint action by the accused, but did not establish the completed harm required under Section 49(2).
The bank’s security controls had prevented the activity from being completed, and no data or financial loss was established.
Relying on Section 55(2) and the decided case of Wina Lubinda v The People, the Court found that the conduct had moved well beyond mere preparation.
Equipment had been obtained, delivered, connected to the workstation and used to access and scan the bank’s network.
The fact that the operation was stopped did not, in the Court’s finding, extinguish the attempt. Rather, the intervention of the bank’s security systems explained why the intended substantive offence was not completed.
The prosecution case did not depend on an eyewitness seeing every step of the alleged operation. Although no eyewitness testified to seeing Zulu connect every device, the Court found the circumstantial evidence compelling.
The package delivery, CCTV footage, Zulu’s movements, the unauthorised equipment, forensic findings, phone communications and attempted commands formed a coherent chain of evidence linking the two accused to the operation.
The significance of the circumstantial evidence was that the individual pieces of evidence were considered together rather than in isolation, enabling the Court to assess the sequence of events and the connection between the accused, the equipment and the attempted network activity.
The case demonstrates the increasingly important role that digital and technological evidence can play in the prosecution of cybercrime.
CCTV footage helped establish the movement of the equipment. Forensic examination provided evidence about the devices and their capabilities. Electronic communications linked the accused to the equipment, while network and security records provided evidence of activity directed towards the bank’s computer systems.
The case, therefore, illustrates how conventional investigative evidence can intersect with digital forensic evidence in establishing what occurred in a cyber-related offence.
The conviction demonstrates that an unsuccessful cyberattack may still result in criminal liability where the prosecution establishes the requisite intention and conduct sufficiently proximate to the commission of the intended offence.
It also emphasises the importance of effective cybersecurity measures in detecting and preventing unlawful interference with computer systems.
The Court has determined the guilt of the two accused. Sentencing remains pending.
The National Prosecution Authority will provide further updates as the proceedings continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lusaka | September 23, 2026 – A cyberattack targeting the computer systems of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Zambia was brought to a halt before it could compromise, alter or destroy bank data and has since resulted in the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) securing the conviction of two men for attempting to interfere with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6269"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6270,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6269\/revisions\/6270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}